UMU tracksters repeat as OAC champions

The University of Mount Union's men's and women's track team repeated as Ohio Athletic Conference champions at the OAC Championships hosted by Wilmington College:

MEN'S TRACK

WILMINGTON -- The University of Mount Union won its second consecutive and record 29th Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Track & Field title Saturday at the 2012 OAC Championships at Wilmington College.

The Purple Raiders totaled 143 points which bested second place Baldwin-Wallace (115) by 28 points. Ohio Northern was in third place with 112 while Heidelberg (98) and Marietta (93) rounded out the top five.

Kevin Lucas, in his second year as head men's coach, and his staff win OAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors for a second straight season.

The top three finishes in every event earn All-OAC honors.

Senior Sean Denard (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) won the shot put for a second-straight season with a season-best and the fifth-best mark in the nation at 56-5.25. Denard also finished third in discus (165-2).

Sean Donnelly (Willoughby/Willoughby South) made a mark in his first championship earning all-conference honors with a second place finish in the hammer throw with a school-record mark of 178-10 and a third place finish in the shot put with a season-best and NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 56-1.25.

Tyler Mettille (Canfield/Canfield) was second in the 400 meters (53.73) while Ravaughn Pope (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa) was third in the 110 meter hurdles (15.37).

Other all-conference performances came in a pair of second place and pair of third place finishes.

Sophomore Levi Simmons (Uniontown/Lake) took second place in the long jump with a season-best and NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 23-6 while senior Chase Claek (Belmont/Union Local) was second in the pole vault with a season-best of 15-3.

The 4x800 meter relay team of freshmen Bryan Derr (Lakeville/Loudonville), Wade Clark (Fairview Park/Fairview) and Matt Marron (Avon Lake/Avon Lake) with senior Tim Kelly (Lakewood/Lakewood) finished third in the 4x800 meter relay with a season-best time of 7:51.68.

WOMEN'S TRACK

WILMINGTON -- The University of Mount Union women's track and field team claimed its third-straight conference title at the 2012 Ohio Athletic Conference Championships at Wilmington College.

The Purple Raiders tallied 146 points which was an impressive 45 points ahead of second place Baldwin-Wallace (101). Marietta was in third place with 98 points while Capital (90) and Ohio Northern (79.5) rounded out the top five.

It was the fourth all-time title for Mount Union (1995, 2010, 2011, 2012)

Kevin Lucas, in his second year as women's head coach at Mount Union and his staff claimed OAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the second straight season.

Junior Mary Mahoney was the OAC Sprint Athlete of the Meet for a second consecutive year as she defended her titles in both the 200 (24.53), 400 meters (56.89) and in the 4x100 meter relay with teammates in freshmen Taylor Ruffing (Attica/Seneca East) and Taylor Coghlan (Twinsburg/Twinsburg) with sophomore Lisa Brasdovich (Columbia Station/Columbia).

Senior Aubree Jones (Falconer, N.Y./Falconer) won titles in both the discus and the javelin on Friday then followed up with a third in the shot put (40-2.75) on Saturday.

Jones set a new school-record and posted the third-best mark in the nation this year with a throw of 149-1 in the discus then had her season-best and an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the javelin at 132-8.

A host of Raiders earned all-conference honors with top three finishes.

Sophomore Taylor Kring (Salem/West Branch) placed second in the 100 hurdles (15.71), Herman took second in the 400 hurdles (1:04.98) and sophomore Caitlin Goggin (Mantua/Crestwood) was second in the 5000 meters (18:16.55).